Point of view: People should get off the minibus

The authorities concerned in the UAE should immediately ban minibuses to transport passengers before more lives are lost involving these vehicles.

The death of eight people in a minibus crash yesterday on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road in Dubai has once again raised questions on why these vehicles are still allowed to carry passengers. It is time that the police and the transport authorities across the UAE take a unanimous decision to end this road menace.

in the UAE, these minibuses, which are actually death traps, are still being widely used to transport passengers especially blue-collar workers, low-income staff of companies, restaurants and supermarkets.

The Federal Traffic Council had announced last year it plans to phase out minibuses by 2023 all over the UAE. It announced that schools would not be allowed to use minibuses to transport students by September 2021. A complete ban on all passenger minibuses will start as of January 2023. The 14-seater vans were banned to transport schoolchildren in 2013. But these are still being used in some emirates.

High centre of gravity

Minibuses are among the most dangerous vehicles because when laden with passengers, it has a high centre of gravity which makes it unstable and more inclined to topple or roll over in case of an accident.

Due to this, stringent checks are also required to regulate movement of the minibuses.

An automatic speed control system should be fitted on all minibuses, with maximum speed set at 80km/h - since most accidents happen when these vehicles, packed with passengers, are being driven at higher speeds and in a reckless manner on our roads.